Friday, January 20, 2012

While it is hard to think of blooming flowers while we weather January, the big spring tree bloom is just around the corner. And with the mild winter we have had so far (don't count your chickens yet), the bloom will probably be earlier than we are used to in this region.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

I hit these two hive locations this morning, trying to get a little insurance on their surviving the winter. These hives, above, are at Bread, and the hive on the left is dead. This was not surprising, we had little hope for this hive the last time we looked, it had been struggling all season. We will repopulate it in the spring.

Monday, January 9, 2012

I have packages coming, weather permitting, in late March (very early in the season so better for early build-up). If this winter continues to be mild, these bees might come even earlier. I received many packages from this supplier last year and they were healthy, large, and fresh (few dead bees). These are 3-lb packages of Italians, and I used them myself and was pleased to see how quickly they built up (with proper syrup feeding and some pollen patties).

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Frightening new research shows honey bees are being exposed to deadly neonicotinoid insecticides and several other agricultural pesticides throughout their foraging period. The research, published in the scientific journal PLoS One says extremely high levels of clothianidin and thiamethoxam were found in planter exhaust material produced during the planting of treated maize seed. The work, which could raise new questions about the long-term survival of the honey bee, was conducted by Christian H. Krupke of the Department of Entomology at Purdue University, Brian D. Eitzer of the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and Krispn Given of Purdue.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

I received a call on New Years Eve from farmer Allan with some pics of the hives (9 in total) in which many of the tops and upper supers had been toppled. He was thinking wind, but my gut says animal. We were able to save the bees, thanks to some warmer weather, and got the hives buttoned up again with straps and bricks.